Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

I've been enjoying trying some new recipes this year and have been using Pinterest as a source of inspiration. Found a pin that led to Plays Well with Butter for Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema.

This is a delicious alternative to traditional beef tacos, especially if you're looking for a vegetarian dinner. It takes about ten minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook, so it's a relatively quick evening meal.

In addition to topping the tacos with the Cilantro Lime Crema, we also used homemade black bean and corn salsa (a spicy homemade recipe). This definitely added the kick we needed to the recipe.

Quinoa & Black Bean Tacos (with Cilantro Lime Crema)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (or water)
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
For serving: charred corn tortillas (we used flour tortillas since no one in our family likes corn tortillas), sliced avocado, cilantro lime crema (below), chopped cilantro, salsa of choice, lime wedges, etc.

Ingredients for the Cilantro Lime Crema

1 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream, or your favorite dairy-free alternative)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Water, as desired

Instructions

Prep note: Once you get cooking, these tacos come together very quickly. So, start by getting all your chopping, measuring, and other prep work out of the way so cooking is a smooth process: dice the onion, mince the garlic, get your spices and tomato paste, measure the quinoa and vegetable stock, and rinse the black beans. Place everything within an arm’s reach from the stovetop.

Sweat the onion: Add the olive oil to a medium skillet (with lid) over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion. Season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Toast the aromatics: Stir the garlic into the skillet. Cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika) and tomato paste. Stir to coat the onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until very fragrant.

Cook the quinoa: Add the quinoa to the skillet, stirring to combine with the onion mixture. Let the quinoa toast for about 1 minute before adding in the vegetable broth. Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add in the black beans. Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Once the quinoa cooked, remove the skillet from the heat – but let it stand covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the lid. Squeeze the lime juice over top and fluff the mixture with a fork. Set aside for taco assembly.

Prep the cilantro lime crema: Meanwhile, as the quinoa simmers, prep the cilantro lime crema. Add all listed cilantro lime crema ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend to combine, adding a tablespoon or two of water as needed to reach your desired consistency. Set aside, or transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (Note: I didn't blend the ingredients in a blender because the recipe doesn't make a lot of the crema. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't wasting any of it by not getting it all scraped out of the blender.)

Assemble and serve: Add some of the quinoa and black bean mixture to a tortilla with sliced avocado. Top with a drizzle of cilantro lime crema. Finish with some chopped cilantro, a spritz of fresh lime juice, and any salsas or toppings you enjoy.